VALPARAISO — Brandon Newman’s journey from Detroit to Gary on Friday involved changing buses in Toledo and seven total hours on the road.

The rising senior from Valparaiso brought two self-improvement books to help pass the time. "Think and Grow Rich," a 1937 manual by Napoleon Hill, and "Pound the Stone," a more contemporary work by Joshua Medcalf suggested by Newman’s high school coach, Barak Coolman.

While that seems like heavy reading for a Fourth of July weekend trip, it also explains why Newman was on his way back from Detroit in the first place. The 6-4, 175-pound guard recently began traveling there to work out with Darryl Jackson, a former assistant coach at Valparaiso High School.

Newman’s profile rose as much as any 2019 prospect in the state this spring. He's now considered a four-star prospect ranked No. 115 in the 24/7 Sports national composite. Purdue and Indiana both offered scholarships, as did Ohio State earlier this week.

“A year ago if you were saying this is going to happen, someone might have looked at you like you were crazy,” said Newman, who by Friday afternoon had decided to leave Valparaiso and attend Montverde Academy — a Florida prep school — for his senior year.

“The last year was about putting in a lot of work, really. I really dialed in on myself to be the best player and person I can be.”

Coolman attributes Newman’s recent swell of offers more to increased exposure than a jump in his game. Newman led Valparaiso’s freshman team to an undefeated record, then started every varsity game as a sophomore and led the Vikings in scoring during Duneland Conference play.

In those early high school days, Newman was a slasher who mixed in some mid-range game. To prove himself as a high-major Division I prospect he had to get in the gym and develop a perimeter game. He has it now, after averaging 25 points and 9.5 rebounds for Valparaiso as a junior.

Yet Coolman also believes another attribute sets Newman apart. As his skills round into form, Newman remains an athlete who is “always thinking the game.”

“He has enough dog in him to fight you on some things,” said Coolman, who coached former Boilermaker Bryson Scott at Fort Wayne Northrop. “But when you show the why he’ll calculate it, and he’s really good at buying in.”

Creighton, Florida State, Kansas State and Xavier are among Newman's other offers. So if Newman is making the necessary commitments to develop as a player, and major programs are taking notice to the level of of offering scholarships, why go to prep school?

That’s not an easy question, and one Newman admits weighed on him in recent weeks.

The positives, from a basketball standpoint, seem numerous. Montverde is considered one of the top basketball prep school programs in the nation. Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and DeAngelo Russell all played there en route to the NBA. Newman will play a schedule loaded with some of the best players in his age group across the country.

“It’s wanting to be prepared for college, wanting to come in right away and make an impact and be ready for college, on and off the court,” Newman said. “Know how to manage time, take care of myself. And I’ll get to play against the best kids in the country on a daily basis. That will only have to make me elevate my level of play, to play well consistently.”

Yet there could be basketball downsides, as well. At Valpairaso, Newman would be the centerpiece of a solid team expect to contend for a trip to the state finals. How much will he need to share minutes, and the ball, at prep school?

None of which takes into account what Newman must give up to move hundreds of miles away. “Sacrifices,” he calls them.

“Time away from my parents, time away from people who genuinely care about me -- friends and family I’ve created strong relationships with,” Newman said. “All that comes into play when you’re thinking about making a move like that. It’s not normal, in a way. You’re having that talk with your high school coach that should be happening in March, but it would be happening in June.”

Newman heads to South Carolina next weekend with his Meanstreets squad to play in the Peach Jam – one of the top events on the summer circuit. More offers could follow if he continues to display his ability to score at all levels and affect the game with his physical play.

Purdue, however, got in early. Soon after the Boilermakers offered in April, Newman wore a Purdue T-shirt during warm-ups with the Indiana Junior All-Stars.

Newman said not to read anything into that, though he admitted he’d been waiting for that Purdue offer. He tried to remain patient, knowing the Boilermakers’ reputation for taking a deliberate approach to handing out offers. He noticed when Painter and assistants Brandon Brantley and Steve Lutz started showing up more frequently at Valparaiso games last season.

“They want to make sure the guy they’re looking at fits their style of play, fits their program on and off the court,” Newman said. “I knew that. I was very patient, not asking, ‘Why are they offering these guys? Why haven’t they offered me yet?

“When I got it, it was the one I really wanted – the one I’ve been waiting for for a while. It definitely meant a lot to finally get it and have the opportunity to come play at Purdue.”

Newman keeps trusting his process, even when it takes some unexpected turns.